The Who and When
by WhiteDaisies
Summary: Castle has a parenting problem and Beckett is the only solution
1. Chapter 1

AN: Hi guys. I'm relatively new to Castle fandom and this is my first fic. I am working on my own piece, and original character, but this little scene hit me while soaking in the tub. I quite like it and thought I'd share.

I had no beta so any mistakes are mine. And if anyone would like to read my original work, let me know. I'm always looking for insights.

Sorry if this is out of character.

The Who and When

The lights were out in the bathroom, candles the only source of light available. But there were at least 50 of them. The entire room smelled of lemon grass from the stress relief aromatherapy bubble bath. The water was scalding hot, making her skin tingle when she got in. Jazz music played softly in the background, filling the room with a soothing lull. She sighed as her back hit the cold porcelain of the huge claw foot tube in the middle of the room. She reached for her wine glass on the small table in arms reach, breathing in the soothing scent and feeling the stress of the day dissolve from her body. Beside the wine glass sat two things, her cell phone and her newest conquest: James Patterson's newest release _I, Alex Cross_.

They had just finished a case and Kate Beckett could think of no better way to celebrate the fact that another murderer was off the streets than a hot bubble bath and a good read. As she delved into the pages she'd been longing to read but hadn't had time, she lost herself in the chase of yet another murder, this one fictional. She felt time passing only in a vague way as she turned page after page. Finally the only reason she even noticed the fact that it was getting late was the fact that her bath water was suddenly cold. She reached for her cell phone to find out what time it was. She found instead a notification that she'd missed 4 calls from Castle. Her phone had been on silent.

She but the book down and reached for the plug in the bottom of the tub. She stood and grabbed her huge white towel, wrapping herself in it and drying off the tiny droplets of water that collected on her skin. She sighed again, knowing that eventually she would have to deal with the phone calls she had missed but avoiding that until the very last second. She stepped from the tub and wrapped the towel around her. She grabbed the now empty wine glass and the book and made her way out of the bathroom.

She walked through the master bedroom and put the book on the bedside table. From there she moved into the kitchen, intent on refilling her wine glass. Just as she passed into the kitchen, a rapid knock came to her door. She walked barefooted to the peep hole. Looking out she saw a very frazzled Castle, his hair out of place and his face drawn in worry. Suddenly she felt guilty for having ignored the man's phone call attempts. Forgetting her state of dress, or undress as that may be, she opened the door to him.

"Castle." She said, moving from the door and allowing him to pass through. He shoved his hands into his jacket pockets and walked in, keeping his head down.

"You didn't answer your phone." He said, almost apologetically. "And I didn't know what else to do. I'm in way over my head."

"I was in the bath." She said, turning towards him. Her brow furrowed in confusion and concern.

"Its Alexis." He said simply, beginning to pace in her kitchen.

"Is she ok? What happened?" Beckett asked, moving towards him in concern. He finally looked up to meet her eyes. She say his eye travel from her eyes to her wet hair. Then they traveled further south on her body, reaching the towel and pausing. He looked back up to her face with a small smile now showing.

"Why are you in a towel?" he asked, the concern leaving his face.

"I told you I was in the bath. What's wrong with Alexis?" he said, annoyed now that she appeared to have gotten concerned for no reason.

"She's asking me questions that I don't know how to answer." He said, the seriousness in his face returning. "I can't send her to Meridith. She's all the way across the country and even if she wasn't I wouldn't want her to give Alexis this advice. And I know what I want to say but I don't think it's a good idea….." he had resumed his pacing before Beckett interrupted him.

"Want to let me in on what exactly we're talking about here?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Sex." He said, stopping his pacing to turn to her. He thought he saw her blush briefly.

"What?" she said, after a pause, crossing her arms in front of her and leaning on the counter in the kitchen.

"She's been asking me questions." Beckett again raised an eye brow in confusion

"You should have explained how that works a long time ago Castle." She said

"Not about the how, Beckett. About the who and the when. Questions she would usually ask her mother but her mother as previously explained isn't an option. And her grandmother would be an even worse decision. So she asks me and I don't know what to do. She already has a boyfriend that I'm not thrilled with and I'm worried…….." Castle had resumed his pacing and was now spouting off information at a speed she found a little hard to follow.

"You're worried she's going to have sex with her boyfriend?" Beckett asked, reaching for her wine glass.

"I'm afraid he's pressuring her to have sex when she's not ready." He said, dead serious, looking her straight in the eye.

"Wine?" she said after a beat, nodding her head in the direction of the bottle on the counter. When he nodded, she reached for a glass in the cabinet behind her and poured some for him. He took a sip and she thought about her answer.

"Alexis is a good kid, Castle. I'm sure that if you just tell her that she's special and needs to wait for someone who will treat her like she is, she'll understand." She said, raising her wine glass to her lips again. They were now leaning on opposite counters, the entire space of the kitchen between them.

"I know teenage boys. I don't want her having sex until she's 30." He said bitterly, drinking again.

"Castle, the chances of that are almost non-existent." She said, laughter in her voice.

"When did you lose your virginity?" Castle asked

"CASTLE!" she said in her disapproving tone.

"Sorry, inappropriate question." He said, a little twinkle in his. He smiled, "It almost worked though."

Beckett rolled her eyes. "You know, Alexis has her head on straight. If a guy is pressuring her, she's letting you know that. You just need to tell her that a guy worth having will take no for an answer." She looked down at her toes. "Sometimes all a girl needs to hear is that they're enough. And if her boyfriend's not saying that, she needs to hear you say it." Beckett looked him straight in the eye and the atmosphere in the room shifted.

Castle nodded after a moment, not breaking eye contact. "Thanks Beckett." He said simply. She averted her eyes and nodded.

"If she has any girl questions, send her to me. I'll be happy to talk." She whispered. When she finally met his gaze again, she found him smiling a devilish smile again.

"You're still in a towel." He remarked, sending a chill down her spine. He started to move toward her. "Want some help getting out of it?"

"Touch me and you die Castle." She said, anger and playfulness and a touch of fear in her eyes. Castle pouted with her, roaming his eyes over her body one last time.

"Fine killjoy but just so you know, this might be a late night for me." He paused, looking at her lips. "Nikki Heat and I have a date inspired by that towel. Call me if you want to give me some more material to work with." He winked at her.

"Castle you have the exact amount of time it takes me to get to my bedroom to get my gun to get out of this apartment." She said, eyes narrowed, arms crossed. He raised his arms in surrender, moving towards the door.

"Thanks Beckett. I mean that." He said, growing serious again.

"I know. And I meant what I said, send Alexis to me if you need to." She said as he walked out of her door.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: So originally this was a one shot. But everyone asked to see Alexis and Beckett together so I decided to accommodate that. I'll continue to add things if I have ideas or get requests. If there's something more you want to see, let me know. Thanks for reviewing, it made my day :D

Chapter 2

Beckett stared down at the paperwork in front of her the next morning. A closed case, though exciting, meant a mountain of paperwork the next day. She sighed, her eyes glazing over as a hand rubbed through her hair. Picking up her pen, she shuffled the papers in front of her, picking out one, and placing it on top. But then her eyes traveled slowly to her coffee mug. Staring it down, debating within her own mind, she had just given into the pressure and reached for the mug when her phone buzzed.

"Beckett." She said, pulling her cell phone up to her ear without checking the ID.

"Detective Beckett…Its Alexis." The girl's voice said hesitatntly.

"Alexis. Hey, what can I do for you?" Beckett asked, her brows furrowing.

"Well, my dad was mentioning last night that you might be a good person to turn to if I wanted to talk. You know, woman to woman sort of thing. Because let's face it, my dad is a great dad but he's still a guy. And my mom…well, she's crazy. Anyway, I understand if you don't have time and are too busy but…" the teen got started talking and it didn't sound to Beckett like she ever took a breath.

"Of course I don't mind." Beckett interrupted the obviously nervous girl. "It's got to be better than the paper work I'm staring at."

"Oh good. How about lunch at that little bistro across from the precinct? Noon?" Beckett could hear the smile in her voice

"Sure Alexis. That's fine." She smiled to herself, looking up to see Castle walking towards her desk. She hung up the phone as he sat in his seat.

"Morning Detective." He said, a smile on his face.

"Castle, don't charm me. Not this early in the morning." She scolded.

"I'm not charming. I'm remembering. That towel last night was a sight to behold."

"Remember that everyone in this building has a gun and they're all on my side." She said, a threatening glean in her eye.

"Too bad I didn't take pictures. They'd be on my side in a flash." He said with a wink. She punched his arm.

*********

Beckett strolled into the bistro at noon, checking behind her to see if she'd been followed. Satisfied that Castle had really gone to his publishers during their lunch break, she scanned the restaurant, spotting Alexis in a corner right away.

She walked over and sat down in front of Alexis. "Detective Beckett." The girl smiled as Beckett sat down.

"Alexis." She answered a smile on her face. The waitress came and took their orders, and soon left them in a bit of an awkward silence. "So... what can I do for you Ms. Castle?" Beckett asked, a conspiratorial glint in her eye.

"Well, I just had some……questions that I thought were a little out of my dad's realm." Alexis said, playing with her napkin. She didn't meet Beckett's eye, instead focusing on the table in front of them. Beckett took a drink from her water.

"About what?" she finally asked, not wanting to pressure the girl but aware that she only had an hour for lunch. The waitress brought their food, sitting it in front of them. Beckett thanked the lady and again lifted her water glass to her lips, waiting on Alexis to start.

"Well, boys I guess." Alexis said, picking up her fork. "There's this guy and we've been kind of seeing one another for a while. I mean, nothing serious or anything but…….I dunno it's different than it was with Owen." She took a bite of her salad, pausing for a moment.

"In what way?" Beckett said while eating.

"It's just that before, the topic of sex never really came up. We didn't date that long and we hadn't really dated that many people before that. And this time….well, it's different. And I don't know how I feel about it." Alexis finished, a blush forming on her pale cheeks.

"You don't know how you feel about sex?" Beckett asked, trying to clarify.

"Well, I don't know how I feel about it right now." Alexis said, picking at her food again.

"Hmmm." Beckett said, eating once again, mulling it over. Alexis looked awkward and Becket knew she needed to say something quickly. "Well, you know that's an individual decision right?"

"Yeah, I mean definitely. It's just that, how do I know when it's right?" Alexis squirmed.

"Well, here's the thing about sex, especially for girls. It's not just a fun activity. When you have sex with someone, you form a connection with that person, a connection that lasts for the rest of your life. Your bodies are connected, obviously, but also your hearts and minds and souls. It's not just sex usually, especially not your first time." Beckett paused, thinking. Alexis nodded her head, urging the detective to continue her thoughts. Picking up her water and sipping once again, she started once more. "The thing about sex is that you're completely vulnerable. You're naked, no way to protect yourself. I'm not saying that to scare you." She added, noting that the girl's eyes had gotten extremely wide. "It's also extremely fun. But you need to wait, especially the first time, for someone you trust. Someone you know won't take advantage of you or the situation. Someone who's going to care about you and about what how you're feeling." She wrapped up her thoughts, resuming her eating, waiting for what the girl would say.

"So, you have to make sure that the guy is a good guy." Alexis said, thinking about all that Beckett had divulged.

"Yeah, I'd say that's about right. And between you and me, you want a guy who cares about whether or not you're having a good time. Because as annoying as a self centered guy is, it's worse in bed." Beckett said, winking at the girl making her blush. "I think the most important thing to ask yourself before you have sex is why you want to. The answer to that question should tell you whether or not you should." Alexis nodded and for a few minutes the girls ate in silence. Alexis was thinking things over, Beckett was giving her time to do so. Beckett kept sneaking peaks at the teen, trying to decide what she was thinking. After a few moments, she nodded again, taking it all in.

"Can I ask you a more personal question?" Alexis asked, timidly.

"Umm, sure." Beckett answered, a little nervous.

"How do you decide who you're going to sleep with?" She asked, looking her straight in the eye.

Beckett nearly choked on the food in her mouth. She cleared her throat, and took a sip of water, trying to find the right words. "Well, I like men who are good men. That's who I'm attracted to. I went through the bad boy stage and came out the other side realizing that you want a good man. So, if I'm attracted to a guy and I think he's a good man, then I just let the moment happen. There's not a whole lot of thinking at that point because if I'm involved with him then he has already met my standards."

"That's smart." Alexis said thoughtfully.

"And I try to make sure that the morning after won't be too awkward." She added, not meeting the girl's eyes directly. When she looked back up, the girl was giving her a knowing look.

"So you're pickier than Nikki Heat." The girl grinned.

"I guess you could say that." She grinned back. After another couple of minutes the food was gone and the girls were wrapping up.

"One last question. How do you know when someone wants to sleep with you if they don't ask?"

"Trust me, you'll know." Beckett said, a glint in her eye. The look on her face made Alexis laugh.

"Like they'll write a book about you?" and suddenly it was Beckett's turn to blush.

"Usually it's a little more subtle." Beckett answered with a wink.

Beckett took care of the bill and escorted the girl out of the building. On the street corner, they turned to face one another.

"Thanks Detective Beckett. This was a big help." She said, leaning forward to give Beckett a hug.

"Please, Alexis, we spent an entire afternoon talking about sex. I think you can call me Kate." She said, squeezing the girl back. Holding her at arm's length, she said, "You're a good kid Alexis. Trust your instincts. You'll know what the right thing to do is."


	3. Chapter 3

AN: So I actually kind of forgot about this fic until someone reviewed it again. I am very sorry. Here is an update, I'm not sure how much longer it will be. Probably just a chapter or two. But anyway, hope you enjoy it. And thanks for all the reviews!!

Castle was sitting at her desk when she returned. He was apparently absorbed in a case file, but she knew better. They didn't have any outstanding cases right now.

"Castle!" she barked at him, standing over him.

"Hmm? Oh." He stood and moved to his chair beside her desk. She would never figure out why he seemed so keen on taking her chair when his was EXACTLY the same. She sat down and opened up her work email. Glancing through some new message about departmental policy, she felt his eyes on her the whole time.

"What Castle?" She said, a fake heat biting her words.

"I'm not going to ask. If I ask I'm being a prying father and I don't like to be a prying father. If I ask I betray her trust, which I do often enough without being aware of it. So, I'm not going to ask."

She turned to raise an eyebrow at him. "That's a very mature attitude." She said.

"However, if you were to volunteer some information, something that might make a non-prying father rest a little easier when his teenage daughter was not in the house…" he leaned in towards her, conspiratorially.

Beckett turned to face him. She was sure that the advice she had given Alexis would fall in line with what Castle would want and therefore she didn't need to tell him. But she was also sure that as a father he deserved to know what people were telling his daughter about sex. "Ok, I will not tell you anything specific. I will not betray her trust. I will however tell you what I told her. Deal?"

"Good enough for me." Castle nodded, scooting closer to her.

"I just told her that she should wait for the right guy. That sex makes you very vulnerable, emotionally and physically and that that meant she should be careful. Not everyone out there is trust worthy. She needed to wait for someone who respected her and wouldn't take advantage of her or the situation." Beckett said softly so as not to draw attention from people walking by. Castle sat back in his chair and processed it all.

"So you didn't tell her not to date until she was 30?" Beckett rolled her eyes at his comment. She picked up her coffee mug and rose from her desk.

"Castle, I don't think you really want your daughter to be a spinster." She said, about to walk towards the break room.

"I don't know. She'd be safer that way." He said, half serious. He didn't like the idea of his little girl growing up. It scared him that she had to tread through a sea of men, who let's face it, could act a lot like him sometimes. "Men are scary."

"Tell me about it." Beckett said, retreating from him.

"Oh come on detective, like you couldn't handle any guy that tried anything funny with you. You could put me in my place pretty quick." He said, and let his eyes appraise the back of her body. She felt his gaze and added a little more swing to her hips involuntarily

"Yeah, now. I was 16 at one point too you know." Beckett shot a look over her shoulder.

"I don't believe it. I think you came into this world wielding a gun." His eyes twinkled and she rolled hers. She reached the break room and coffee machine and started fidgeting with the knobs. He came up behind her and leaned on the counter, facing her. He watched her movements for a moment before saying, "Seriously though. Thank you."

She looked over at him suspiciously. "For what?"

"For talking to Alexis. I know the advice you gave her was sound. It's the advise I think her mother would have given her if she wasn't crazy. She needs a not crazy female to turn to. And its advice I think I secretly wanted her to get." Beckett stilled. She turned to him slightly

"She's a good kid Castle. She's got her head on straight. She does the right thing without thinking about it most of the time. She was just over thinking this one a bit too much." She smiled a faint smile. "And I'm glad I'm a non crazy female." She chuckled a little. He watched the smile play on her lips and he liked it. His eyes ran down her side, admiring her body once again. She felt his eyes raking over her and it made her uncomfortable. It reminded her of what Alexis had said earlier, about Castle writing a book about her. It made her even more uncomfortable. The girl was wise beyond her years.

"I'm glad she has you around." He finally said.

"Yeah well I know what its like to be a girl without a mother around." Beckett replied a little sadly. "I'm happy to do it."

He smiled at her. "I could kiss you right now." It slipped out of his mouth before he could stop it. He stood, listening to the silence for a moment, trying to gauge her reaction. Her mouth opened slightly and she turned to look at him, a confused look on her face. She appeared to be trying to find some words to say. Before he could think too much he said, "What the hell?"

Castle reached out and grabbed her face in his, bringing his lips just inches away from hers. He breathed in her scent and waited for her to back away. When she never did, he wasn't sure if he was getting permission or if she was just confused. Either way, he slowly lowered his lips to hers, barely touching. It was a whisper of a kiss, hesitant and yet suggestive. It claimed there was more to be told.

Beckett surprised herself and Castle when her body leaned forward for her, increasing their contact. His hands still holding her chin, she sat her coffee cup down so that she could touch him.

Suddenly there was the clamor of something being dropped which brought them out of their trance.

"DAD!!" they turned guiltily to see Alexis standing there, a horrified look on her face. She turned and ran down the hallway, leaving the gloves she'd dropped on the floor. Castle took off running after her.

Beckett recognized the gloves as her own. She must have left them at the restaurant. She touched her lips with her fingers, still confused.


	4. Chapter 4

Castle followed Alexis's retreating form from the break room down the hall to the stair well. He caught sight of her red hair flowing after her as the door drew shut. He opened it and chased her down the stairs yelling after her.

"Alexis! Honey, please stop! Let me explain." He yelled until he realized that the yelling was getting no response and so concentrated on moving one foot in front of the other as quickly as possible…and not falling down the stairs.

Around a couple of corners, Castle caught a glimpse of the red hair and knew he was gaining ground on her. She wasn't that far away.

Alexis slowed as she neared the bottom of the stairwell, facing the door that led to freedom. But running away would solve the problem. So instead she turned and leaned against the door and crossed her arms in front of her. Her stance was defiant and cold. When her father finally caught up to her with that goofy "I'm guilty" grin on his face, she cocked an eyebrow.

"Alright dad, explain." She said coldly. The smirk on his face faltered as he looked at her seriously.

"Why don't you tell me what's upsetting you and then I'll see if I can explain those things?" He said slowly, carefully probing.

"I assume that you know where Detective Beckett was during her lunch break?" Castle nodded his head evenly, betraying nothing. "I just spent the last hour of my life confiding in Kate about …… well about sex. I spent an hour getting advice from her, being completely honest with her and she was completely honest with me. Then I come here and I see you, kissing her." Alexis finished, her tone indicating that she thought that explained it all.

Castle thought about it a moment, trying his best to take this conversation as seriously as his daughter. When he finally spoke, he was careful not to smile in any way. "Sweetie, I'm missing the problem here." He said, hands outstretched with palms up.

"Dad, Kate is a real person. She's a person who has lived, has experience and has seen pain. She thrives in her environment even though its male dominated and she has to work twice as hard as the men to make the same grade. She's smart. She understands things that I only hope I will ever get to experience." She looked at her shoes as she was talking. Castle watched her intently, still unsure of where this conversation was going. And even more unsure about what exactly the problem was for his daughter. She sighed before continuing. "She's a good person. She's not a bimbo like your model girlfriends. She's not out for money like Gina. She's not crazy like mom." Alexis rolled her eyes. "Bottom line dad, I like her. I would like to keep her around at least until I finish high school because girl problems only get more complicated. Like what about prom? And if you sleep with her, and then walk out like you always do, she'll be gone." Alexis finished, looking up at her father.

"I do not walk out." Castle said defensively.

"Yes, you do." Alexis asserted

"How do you know so much about my dating life?" Castle looked at her skeptically.

"Please dad. Even if I couldn't read the cues, it's all over page 6."

"Oh yeah." Castle looked pensive for a moment and then a small smile appeared on his lips. He pulled Alexis into a hug and kissed the top of her head. "I don't think you have anything to worry about."

"Why?" Alexis asked

"Because, I'll always need new inspiration. And nothing is going to measure up to Beckett again." Castle smiled at the confused look on Alexis's face. "In other words, I won't screw it up."

"I'll instruct Beckett to kick your butt if you don't make good on that promise."

* * *

Meanwhile, back in the break room, Kate put her head in her hand. She stood there, breathing. At first she couldn't believe Castle had had the nerve to kiss her. Then she couldn't believe that her body had responded without her consent. And finally she couldn't believe Alexis had walked in on them at that exact moment. This was her fault. And somehow she had to fix it.

She grabbed her coffee mug and paced the floor. She could feel the eyes of Esposito and Ryan on her but they knew better than to ask. She could only hope they had missed the kissing. God, she hoped they had missed the kissing.

She paced like a caged animal. She didn't know what to do. She trusted Castle to figure something out with Alexis. Right now, she needed to figure out what she was going to DO about all of this.

She was getting nowhere thinking in the break room so she put the mug down. She walked out of the room and into the locker room to change. Emerging in only a sports bra and running shorts, she called to Esposito and Ryan "I'm going up to the gym. Let me know if anyone dies." She waved a hand to them as she retreated up the stairs.

All her life Kate Beckett had found solace in running. The simple rhythm of feet hitting the pavement did her mind and body some good. Working off the energy helped with the stress of everyday. And it helped her to relax. During college, she loved nothing more than her hour spent at the gym every day. It wasn't a full day until she'd worked up a sweat. Old habits die hard.

She stepped onto the treadmill and punched a number. The treadmill spun into life and it wasn't long before her feet were propelling her down an invisible runway.

Instead of thinking thing through today, she let her mind go blank. She thought of nothing but putting one foot down in front of the other. Right, left, right, left. It was soothing, cathartic. And before long her feet had carried her several miles without taking her anywhere. She was lost in her own world and didn't hear the footsteps behind her or the door to the gym slam shut. All she heard was the raspy voice beside her when he decided to make his presence known.

"Detective, I hope you're not getting all hot and sweaty over me now." Castle said, the smirk on his face audible in his words.

Beckett very calmly slowed the treadmill to a walk, not looking at him.

"What do you want Castle?" she asked, her words biting in the air.

"To both say thank you and apologize. And to let you know that Alexis is ok." He said simply, putting his hands in his pockets

"That's good." She said, finally turning her face towards him as she turned off the machine.

"So, dinner?"

"Castle I will not date you. We kissed, the end. It's not like it has to mean something. I mean, I kissed Esposito once upon a time and nothing is different."

"Oh contraire, mademoiselle. Everything is always different after a good kiss." He winked at her.

"Oh well, then, nothing should be different at all." She winked back at him and walked past him to the ladies' locker room, just so he couldn't follow her. She did hear as she was retreating,

"Deny all you want Detective. Your lips tell two stories." She blushed, not that he could see it.


	5. Chapter 5

AN: sorry for the wait guys. Life is a little busy. Won't be another update on either of my stories for a couple of days. Hope this is a good chapter to tide you over. :)

He was sitting at her desk when she returned from the showers. Where else would he be? He sat behind a magazine, pretending to read it but he watched her walk towards him. He saw her hesitate when her eyes fell on him. Then he watched her square her shoulders in true Kate Beckett form and walk towards him resolutely.

She sat down in her chair and pulled up a fail on her computer. She stared at it without seeing it. He starred at her, unashamed.

"Is there something you wanted Castle? Or are you just staring at me for fun?" she said, her eyes never leaving the screen in front of her.

"Well, as a matter of fact…. While just staring at you has definite perks….." he saw her roll her eyes even though she wasn't looking at him. "I wanted an answer to my question."

"What question?" she asked, looking distracted

"About dinner." He said simply. She turned slowly to give him an incredulous look. She lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper.

"I already answered that." She said.

"You didn't hear the rest of the offer." He also lowered his voice, leaning in closer to her. "Alexis wanted to make dinner, for everyone. She said she overreacted earlier and felt 'totally horrible' about it."

Beckett sighed as she watched a smile dance across his face, all the way to his eyes. He had her, and he knew he did.

"When are you going to stop using Alexis to get me to do things you want me to do?" she whispered, frustrated.

"When it stops working." He said, a mischievous look in his eyes.

"I believe Alexis and I may have to have another talk soon then." She said, rolling her eyes once more.

"Don't you dare pit my own daughter against me." He said, faking a look of shock and hurt.

"It's not like it's a stretch." She typed a few letters on her keyboard before realizing it was fruitless. He was going to continue to stare at her until she consented. "Fine. What time?"

"About 7? It's a school night." He leaned back happily in his chair, crooking one leg over the other.

"Fine. But do not expect a repeat performance of earlier." She gave him a knowing look.

*******************

Beckett arrived at the door wearing a simple wrap dress. She'd left the office early, as there was nothing left for her to do. She'd gone back to her apartment and showered again, pulling on more appropriate clothing than her work attire.

She fidgeted on her low heels, waiting for someone to open the door. She touched her hair and bit her lip as Castle's face appeared between the door and the door frame.

"Detective. You're early." he said, not opening the door any further. Beckett looked down at her watch.

"Only by about 2 minutes." She said simply, getting frustrated.

"Yes well……." He turned his head and looked over his shoulder. He stalled a few more moments before opening the door a little wider. "Won't you come in?" his charm smile resolutely in place.

She stepped through the door, giving him a confused look. Alexis and Martha entered from the living area as Castle took her coat. Both red heads had a slightly guilty look on their face.

Alexis rushed up and hugged Beckett.

"Kate! Thanks for coming." She smiled at her, holding her at arms length.

"You know I can't say no to an Alexis home cooked meal." Alexis's face grew into a large smile as she hugged the detective once more.

"I better go check on it actually." She moved towards the kitchen. "Lasagna by the way."

"Sounds great." Beckett called after her. Martha moved to follow Alexis into the kitchen, no doubt to torment the teen. Beckett turned to see Castle staring at her again.

"You know the staring thing is getting a little creepy. Like, fast track to stalker creepy." she said.

"Sorry!" He moved towards her. "Wine?" He moved towards the kitchen.

"Please." She said, looking around at her surroundings once more.

"I'll be right back. Have a seat, make yourself at home." She moved to sit on the over stuffed couch as he moved in the opposite direction. She eyed a few things out of place as he returned with two full glasses. He sat down next to her, handing her the one in his right hand.

"Did you make your mother and daughter hide things while you answered the door so I wouldn't see how messy the place is?" she eyed him suspiciously. His face reddened and she knew she had caught him red handed, as it were. "Thought so." She said simply, taking a sip of wine.

"I think I'm going to take the fifth." He said, also drinking from his glass.

"You should really read the constitution before you try to use it in an argument." She said. He laughed at her, not the polite laugh he does around the office but a laugh from the gut. His hand came down to rest on hers.

"Only you would use THAT in an argument." She giggled along with him, their heads falling close to one another as their wine glasses sat forgotten on the table.

The laughter died down and a serious mood settled in for both of them.

"Should we talk about earlier?" he asked, turning to look at her.

"You're such a girl Castle." She said with a chuckle. "I already told you there's nothing to talk about. It didn't mean anything."

"Right." He nodded and then paused. "But if it had meant something, what would that something be?"

"Have you ever had a relationship before?" she retaliated, also turning to face him. He retreated from his line of questioning, as it was obvious he wasn't going to get anywhere from that approach.

"It was a good kiss though, wasn't it?" a sparkle grew in his eye.

"CASTLE!" she moved to smack him, her face blushing. "Inappropriate."

"Why?"

"Your daughter is in the next room." she whispered

"And if she wasn't?" he whispered back, leaning his face close to hers. Their lips were inches apart yet again, begging to touch. Beckett bit her lower lip, unable to back away but afraid to move forward. That is until…

"Dinner's ready!!" was yelled from the kitchen.


End file.
